The first reliable report on the 1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinoline ring system, Backman et al., J. Org. Chem. 15, 1278-1284 (1950) describes the synthesis of 1-(6-methoxy-8-quinolinyl)-2-methyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinoline for possible use as an antimalarial agent. Subsequently, syntheses of various substituted 1H-imidazo[4,5-c] quinolines were reported. For example, Jain et al., J. Med. Chem. 11, pp. 87-92 (1968), synthesized the compound 1-[2-(4-piperidyl)ethyl]-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinoline as a possible anticonvulsant and cardiovascular agent. Also, Baranov et al., Chem. Abs. 85, 94362 (1976), have reported several 2-oxoimidazo[4,5-c]quinolines, and Berenyi et al., J. Heterocyclic Chem. 18, 1537-1540 (1981), have reported certain 2-oxoimidazo[4,5-c]quinolines.
Certain 1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amines and 1- and 2-substituted derivatives thereof were later found to be useful as antiviral agents, bronchodilators and immunomodulators. These are described in, inter alia, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,689,338; 4,698,348; 4,929,624; 5,037,986; 5,268,376; 5,346,905; and 5,389,640.
Substituted 1H-imidazopyridine-4-amine compounds useful as immune response modifiers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,446,153; 5,494,916; and 5,644,063. The compounds described in these patents do not have amine containing substitution at the 1-position. Certain 1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amines that have amide, sulfonamide, and urea functionality at the 1-position are described in PCT Publications WO 00/76505, WO 00/76518 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,539. The disclosures of all the above-mentioned patents and published patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Despite these recent discoveries of compounds that are useful as immune response modifiers, there is a continuing need for compounds that have the ability to modulate the immune response, by induction of cytokine biosynthesis or other mechanisms.